The present invention relates broadly to overland vehicles for general personal mobility and, more particularly, to a utility vehicle that provides hands free operation for use by operators of hand-held implements and others desiring or needing hands-free mobility in a vehicle.
Maintenance personnel and other workers generally require the use of their hands to perform work in some manner. In the past these workers have been limited to foot travel or travel in a vehicle with someone else at the controls. For example, inventory management in a large warehouse could more readily conducted if there were a utility vehicle available that could provide hands free operation so that the rider can have his or her hands free to operate bar code readers, clipboards or other devices requiring manual operation.
Lawn grooming and maintenance typically require grass cutting and trimming operations. Trimming, edging, debris clearance operations are typically done by hand-held implements such as string trimmers, edgers and blowers. These implements are generally carried by workers on foot. Walking, carrying and operating the implements can slow down a lawn grooming operation, especially when the facility undergoing care is large. Further, walking and carrying the implements can tire workers, requiring frequent breaks.
Military operations can also require hands-free personal mobility, especially in urban environments. Such personal mobility could free military personnel from heavy backpacks, and could carry extra weapons, ammunition, or communications equipment. Similarly, hunters could take advantage of the same features.
Accordingly, there exists a need for the utility vehicle to carry at least one person and provides hands-free operation to allow a worker or other rider to use their hands and furtherance of their job.
Further, there exists a need for a vehicle to carry operators of blowers, trimmers, edgers and other hand-held lawn care implements, as well as the implements themselves. Such a vehicle should provide hands-free operation wherein the vehicle may be operated in a manner that allows the worker to perform the cutting, trimming or edging operations while remaining mobile on the vehicle.